A HANDWRITTEN letter! from last week ;-) and PICS!!

Hermanas Amendola and Harris

Like I sort of said in my email (but ran out of time), I'm in a singing trio with my companion and another Hermana in our district, Hermana Lunt. (No, she looks nothing and sounds nothing like Mr Lunt in Veggie Tales). We've been singing Joseph Smith's First Vision to the tune of Homeward Bound. My voice isn't as trained as theirs,and they're both all vibrato-y and stuff, so I still don't know why I'm singing with them, but apparently it's okay. We sang it in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. It was pretty awesome.

We actually tried out to sing in a large group meeting, but Sister Nally, the lady in charge, has perfect pitch and didn't like the fact that we were accapella. She told us to get a piano. So we needed to find someone who could play with us... by ear... cuz we made up the harmonies & had no sheet music. We were really blessed, though. We literally ran into Elder Mercado minutes after they told us he might be able to help us. He & his companion, Elder Lamb, have been so awesome. Working with our branch presidency's 2^nd counselor, we actually now have sheet music, and it all is just super cool. It's truly a miracle. The lady (Sister Nally) will be sending us a note in the mail if she wants us to try out. So, we'll see.

We had a pretty cool experience at TRC (Training Resource Center”) this week and last week. At TRC we teach volunteers. Last week, we taught a 22 to 28 year old named Benjamin. He served in Bolivia, and three days after he entered the MTC, his mom died. I could not even imagine. So I'm so grateful for my experience so far. I sure love you!!!!!

This week, we taught Santiago. He lived in Wyoming, but now he lives in Provo, obviously. He's in his 50's or 60's, and he works as a book repairman in the BYU library. He is not married. He's a super cool guy. He talked a bit about how the desire of his heart was to see the Lord, face to face, in this life, like Nephi, the brother of Jared, etc. While we were discussing things, the Spirit was super strong. I loved it. Absolutely an incredible experience.

On Sunday, my companion and I went early to Music and the Spoken Word and thus were asked to give the prayers for Relief Society, with all the sisters, including Sister Burton, the General Relief Society President. So that was the beginning of my Sunday. Then we read more scriptures, prepared our talks, went to lunch, worked on talks some more, had district lesson, and then went to Sacrament Meeting. In Sacrament we sang our song, & that was crazy. It was really cool but terrifying. After that, we practiced our song with Elder Mercado playing the piano. We went to dinner and then had choir practice, and that was super cool too.

The devotional we had after choir was amazing. I believe the speaker's name is Richard I Heaton. He taught the difference between success and success. By which I mean he taught that there are two kinds : the 1^st means people accept your invitation to come unto Christ. The 2^nd means that your efforts are acceptable to the Lord. The 1^st is a gift. We can only work with all of our efforts & desire their eternal welfare with all of our hearts, with a complete understanding that all of our efforts can bring no “success” of the 1^st variety. If we do this, we will have success – but only the 2^nd kind.

The 1^st kind is not in our power to bring about. I need to remember to recognize that success #1, whether I get it or not, does not change #2. It was a good devo. Anyways, then we watched the Joseph Smith movie, again. For the 3^rd time here. XD. It always brings me to tears. The sacrifices of those early Saints. I just can't even imagine. I know that soon I will be out there, in the world, with people who will reject us, & persecute us, for His name's sake. 3 Ne 12:10-12 gives hope. I hope & pray that I can submit patiently to all the will of the Father. I'll be looking to the examples of the pioneers. It's going to be exciting & scary & I'm excited to get out there. Thanks for all you have done to prepare me for this. I'm grateful for the way I have been raised & for the experiences I've had growing up. Thank you, thank you, thank you! <3<3<3

Love & Prayers, Hermana Harris

Lift up your heart and SING! Week 9

So this is my last Tuesday in the MTC!! Next Tuesday I'll be out of here! We got our new schedule for the next week. Wednesday we're off to Temple Square, where we will be a guest, to see what we like and what we don't like about how tours are given, so we can do better ourselves. It will be quite exciting! We met our new teacher. She's super awesome. She said something interesting to me. She asked us what we're worried about. I said I was worried because I'm not super outgoing. I tend to be shy. I said I want to work on that. She said to not worry so much about it. She said to try to be the best me that I can be, but that the Lord needs Sister Harris, not Sister Harris trying to be somebody else. That really touched me, and helped me realize I'm not supposed to become this cookie-cutter missionary. The Lord just wants me to be the best Hermana Julia Nicole Harris from Tucson, AZ that I can be. If that means opening up more, then so be it, but I don't have to try to be someone I'm not. :)

Speaking of opening up more. Ahem. So you know how my companion got me to sing with her and another Hermana in our Zone? Well, we tried out the first time acappella, and Sister Nally said she couldn't use us, but she encouraged us to find an accompanist. So...we did. We were miraculously able to literally run into someone who had the talent and the desire to help us arrange a piano part for the song. One miracle after another, we were able to get it all together. We re-tried out, and Sister Nally said we did really well, and said she'd let us know when she wants to use us. So on Friday, we got a note from her in our mail, telling us that we would be singing on Sunday at Mission Conference! That's in front of the entire MTC. EVERYONE. >_> Umm.

So... on Sunday I sang in a trio in front of thousands of missionaries. That was definitely a new experience for me. I prayed and prayed and prayed and just wanted to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. When it was our turn to go up, we walked up, and my heart started beating so hard I could barely breathe, but my mind was completely calm. It was an incredible experience. I felt such peace and joy as I sang. It was super awesome. Since then I've realized that it's not a big deal to talk in front of people. I've found it loads easier to get up in front of the class or zone and bear my testimony or say a prayer or teach a lesson - whatever it is. It's pretty sweet. I guess that'll come in handy with the whole 'giving tours' thing, eh?

Also, it's been a weird experience because everywhere we go, someone will turn to us and say, "Oh, were you the Sisters that sang on Sunday? You did such a great job!" It's kinda freaking me out. People don't usually notice me. So...when random girls in the bathroom or Elders in the lunchroom or hallway or computer lab say "Hey, nice job on Sunday" it's kinda different. (BTW, just a few minutes ago someone said it. XD It's been like... over 50 people.) I'm just glad that people were able to feel it. :)

Alright. So Wednesday afternoon we have tour class and such, and then we go to the referral center for a bit! Thursday we have more classes and referral center, and then another p-day on Friday. Then Saturday we're back to classes, and then Temple Square again Saturday night. Sunday is regular church, Monday is classes/referral center/prep to leave, and we leave Tuesday at 5 in the morning! I can't even believe it!

Something I re-learned today: I need to have my love for the Saviour written in my heart so that no one can take it away. That's also what I need to help the people of San Diego have. I need to help them have that relationship with their Saviour, so that no one can take that away from them!

Well, I'm about out of time. I love you all! Please take care of each other. I trust that the Lord is taking care of you. :) Keep reading together and praying together and loving each other.

--Hermana Harris

Real Life! Week 8

This week has been pretty awesome. We've been practicing our song a lot and it´s working out really well! Our investigators are doing great! We taught them both about the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom. Both were hesitant about the whole no-coffee thing, but both are willing to give it a try. It´s so neat to see their progression and their desires to follow the Saviour.

A few days ago we got to teach each other mini-lessons, as usual. I taught an Elder Tanner. He was pretending to be his friend, and I was teaching him about the law of chastity. As we talked, the Spirit was totally there, and it was incredible. I shared this scripture a different Elder showed me the other day, Mosiah 2:41, and it was awesome. As I told him that God loved him, and that He wanted him to be happy, and that's why He gives us commandments, he started crying. It was so powerful. I love this work! It's so hard but it has its moments of awesomeness. :)

I got fitted for my last dress today!!! :D IT'S BLUE. I'm so excited! I totally love it!!!! <3 <3 <3 The other dress is fitting much better now. I just need to keep up my exercise. Oh, and it turns out I love 'whole bran' cereal. So I've been eating that as my dessert (with a banana sliced up into it). It's super delicious. :)

Some neat things I learned from the devotional tonight:

--> Life happens on the hills. (Lives change only by going through difficulties.)

--> No matter where I am, I will feel far away without a positive attitude. I definitely need to choose to be positive about EVERYTHING.

--> Satan, the enemy of my soul, is going to do anything he can do to weaken my companionship. o.O

--> All of my companions will have virtues and talents and capacities that I lack. There will always be something I can learn from them. As I focus on the positive, we will grow closer, and I can become more like the person I'm supposed to be too!

--> The most powerful testimony I can bear is WHO I AM.

We, the choir, sang "Jesus, Once of Humble Birth." I had never really realized what a nifty song that is. It says one line about what He was or what He suffered, and then the next line talks about His glory and what it will be like during the 2nd Coming. It's absolutely beautiful. :)

I don't remember if I said this before or not, but when Jeffrey R Holland spoke to us, he said something super cool. He said to stop talking about what you'll do when you get back to 'real life.' "Listen. This is Real Life. With a capital R and a capital L. This is as close to Real Life as you're gonna get." He also talked a lot about how exciting missionary work is right now. He said it's "unlike anything I know of, quite frankly, in the history of the Church." He said he was "fired with Heavenly and joyful anticipation."

There are so many 18 year-old Elders and 19/20 year-old Sisters here already. It's absolutely incredible to be a part of this time in missionary work. I was here when the first wave of them came in. How awesome is that? But he also gave us some warning: "You have to be the best missionaries we've ever had." I need to get working!!

Well, I love you all. Please take care. I'm so excited to go to San Diego, but I love it here too. I'm going to miss it!!! I can't even believe I've been here for almost 2 months. I love it. This is awesome. :)

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Harris

Singing the Song of Redeeming Love!! Week 7

So Jeffrey R Holland spoke to us last week. It was absolutely incredible. He re-dedicated three of the buildings. It was so awesome. I'm going to share a choir experience with you, but in just a minute. First I want to explain the fact that I don't exactly agree with a certain way of teaching. I personally feel like sometimes it's like tricking people into things. But what I do like is that asking questions helps the investigators see the answers and apply them personally. If they know the truth but don't see how it affects them individually, then it's pointless. Plus as they teach themselves, they'll know it's true better than if I just tell them. So there you go. Not trying to force people. That's messed up. Not to mention doesn't work and is Satan's plan.

So. Jeffrey R Holland. Choir. Here we go.

My companion and I have been singing in the MTC choir. We were super excited because we were going to get to sing in the Christmas program. We went to every single rehearsal, even the ones at 7 in the morning where we had to sacrifice other things like breakfast to get there on time, etc. We were so excited because the songs were amazing and everything was super cool. And then Christmas morning, we went in to go to choir practice, and...well...people who hadn't ever gone to any of the choir practices decided they wanted to sing for the special speaker...so we didn't even get to be in the choir because it was full. I cannot even begin to express my anger, frustration, disappointment, etc. I basically never wanted to sing again. It took me a while to get over that. I was distracted for a good majority of Elder Russel M Nelson's talk because I was so upset.

Then I had a thought. I realized that I was looking at it all wrong. The reason I go to choir is because I love the Lord, and I can't express myself well, but in singing I can tell Him how much I love Him. So it doesn't matter that I didn't get to be in the choir. Because the Lord knew I loved Him and that I did my best and that was all that really mattered. I also realized that in my mission, I'm going to do a lot of work, lots and lots and lots of it, and I won't see the end result. I won't get to participate in the performance. But that doesn't mean that my work was in vain. Someone will be blessed. Someone's life will be a bit better, whether I'm there to see it or not. That helped. :)

And now. My companion and I have learned our lesson and we go early to choir practice. We went last week and were early and it was amazing. We sang Precious Savior  Dear Redeemer, but it was a version I'd never heard before. It was absolutely beautiful. (My favorite line is "Curb the winds and calm the billows, bid the angry tempests cease.") And as a personal mini-miracle in my life, I got to be in the choir as we sang it for Elder Jeffrey R Holland.

Alma 28:8. Our devotional speaker tonight told us to read that, putting our mission in there. I'm so excited to get out there!! He also said that "Everything about (the place you serve) will be beautiful, because it's where you come to know your Savior."

Classes are going well. Spanish is coming. Companion is amazing. We're working on this trio song with Joseph Smith's first vision song and another one. Sorta.

Please write. Please know I love you all so much!

Week 6! Question, questions questions

Hello everyone!

I hope all is well with you. :) 

Since about 5 weeks ago my room mate and I have been having feet-washing parties in the bathroom sinks. I can't remember if I told you that or not, so I thought I'd bring it up cuz I love it. XD It's just a few moments of getting my feet clean and bonding with my room mate. People definitely give us weird looks when they come in and see us sitting on the counter... but... it doesn't bother me anymore. XD By the end of the day my feetsies definitely need the massage.

We had a zone resource teacher come in on Friday and tell us that we are horrible. We're terrible at teaching and we're way behind on Spanish and basically we're just the worst missionaries ever. Sweet. Then he taught us a better way to teach and then taught us about direct object/indirect object pronouns and how to use them, etc. It definitely makes a lot more sense, but I still don't know how to use his method for teaching.

It's good, but I haven't been able to do it for myself yet. Basically you start by either teaching a basic principle or having them read a scripture. (If you have them read a scripture, obviously you give some context for it and then tell them what to look for.) Then you ask them a what question about the scripture. Then with their answer, you teach a bit of doctrine and take it to the next question, which is a why question. Then with that answer you ask a how question, and then you can get them to do anything. Basically. I'll give an example.

Say you want to commit them to be baptized. You can start with 3 Ne 11:33. Give them some background, and tell them to look for what you need to do to inherit the kingdom of God.

So they read it, and it says that you need to be baptized. So then you ask them, what do you need to do to inherit the Kingdom of God, and they say be baptized. Simple enough. Then you give some doctrine, like that God gives us commandments so that we can be happy and return to live with Him. So then you ask them why God gives us commandments like baptism, and they say to be happy, and so then you ask them how, according to this, they can be happy, and they say by being baptized. Then you ask them to be baptized. That's the gospel according to Hermano Jarvin.

So... the fire alarm went off. AGAIN. This time at 12:15. I liked that better. We got back to our rooms around 1:00. Sweet.

The other day I saw someone named Elder Trogdon. I definitely thought it said Trogdor for a minute and I got really excited. XD I also saw an Elder Latimer. I thought that was sweet, and I definitely wanted to tell Emma, Tress, and Lang. And Rachel and Chris, obviously.

Yesterday at TRC we taught a couple named Katie and Jeff. XD I miss you! :)

Every Sunday we have a theme. This Sunday's theme was the Gift of the Holy Ghost. They have all of us prepare talks, and then randomly select 2 from the zone. While writing my talk, I realized just how important the Holy Ghost is to me! I mean, He tells me that my Father in Heaven loves me, that my Savior lives, and that I can be forgiven! He testifies of truth and fills my soul with joy and casts out darkness. He also helps those I teach recognize the truth and fill them with that joy, too. :) Basically... it's awesome.

Oh, my comp and I have a calling! We're the music coordinators. Basically we just pick the music. But I like it, and I'm excited. :) We also get to try to find special musical numbers. Woo hoo!

So this week was pretty interesting. We had our best lesson ever, and then we had the worst lesson-planning-session ever. Several of the worst lesson-planning-sessions ever. We wanted to teach different stuff, and we wanted to share it differently. And it was super weird and difficult. But now that our teachers have actually clarified what we're supposed to teach and when, it's better.

Our lesson, though, was the highlight of the week. We taught basically the 1st lesson - the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. (We didn't get in all the stuff from the whole lesson...sorry.) It was basically my favorite experience. We took turns really well, and asked some questions, and the Spirit was definitely there, and then I finally got to share the 1st vision (cuz I finally realized I needed to memorize it) and it was super fantastic. Then we forgot to invite him to be baptized!! D: That'll come this next time. Anyway, it was super enjoyable and I loved it. I hope we can have more lessons like that!

In a lesson with Lilian, we got to help her understand why it's important to pray daily, and not just when you really need something. I asked her if she talks to her dad here on earth every day, and she said no, because he's so far away. I asked her if it were possible, would she, and she said yeah, of course. So I explained that it's the same with her Heavenly Father! I think that really helped her. We also shared 2 Ne 32:8-9 (scripture mastery ftw!) and I realized that it's super important to pray cuz Heavenly Father wants to bless us with so much!

All we have to do is pray, and then all our actions can be for the benefit of our souls. Ooh. :) At the end we asked her to be baptized, and she said she was already baptized, and we told her that was awesome and that we're super happy that she showed her faith like that, and that we want to help her come unto Christ more, etc. So next lesson we're re-covering the parts of lesson 1 that we missed with her and we'll talk about authority and stuff. Pretty exciting!

Our entire Zone has a new goal: only Spanish. ... It's going okay so far. Definitely didn't heed to the goal at 12:15 this morning. That's too early for Spanish. -_-' But, it's all good. We're getting better, I think. We had a pow wow as a district and got some things out and I think we'll all get along a little better. Oh, one of our Elders got his nose broken in basketball. He's going in for surgery tomorrow. Sad. Well, I hope all goes well for all of you! I definitely don't have much time left. I love you all!! 

Hermana Harris

YAY! Half way done with the MTC!

1/8/13

So because of the new BYU semester, we lost our old teachers. :( But we had a super last day with them. :) It was awesome. Hermano Law told us this awesome sad personal story a few weeks ago, and basically he's the most cheerful person I know. Every day he says he's 'superfeliz.' :D It reminded me a bit of "Any better and I couldn't stand it." So now I always say I'm superbien or superfeliz. :) He told us some awesome stories about his mission in Chile. I can't wait to get out into the field!!! BTW, the investigator that he played, Jason, was one that he actually talked to while in the MTC! It was online and all that. They used to do call center stuff, and they actually contacted him and he was interested and they had lessons with him via chat and such. Pretty awesome!

We didn't get a last day with Hermano Wald because he was sick. :( He got the disease I guess. We'll get to have one with him next week and get pics with him and all that good stuff.

We got fitted for our costumes today! None of the dresses fit me very well but hopefully they'll get something worked out. XD

Our new teachers are awesome! One of them is Hermana Eyring (yes, she is President Eyring's granddaughter) and she is awesome. She's super quiet and sweet and humble but powerful and really fantastic. Our other teacher is Hermano Waddups. He's super energetic and a great teacher. He really tries to keep all of us awake. It's nice. :) Our new Zone Resource Teacher is Hermano Campbell. He's super awesome too, and so basically all our new teachers rock, so I'm a tiny bit less upset about losing our old teachers. I will eventually send some pictures home, I promise. XD

I was unaffected by the sickness! Our district was so lucky. Only two of us got sick, and it was only for a day. There were hundreds of missionaries puking their guts out for New Years. :( I felt so bad! Even Elder Dean got sick. :(

I saw Elder Embly again! (I remembered his name). I also saw Elder Mertlich! Umm…The one from our ward going to Russia. :) I was on my way to Sacrament Meeting and he walked past and then I heard "Sister Harris!" and so I turned around and voila. It's so nice to see familiar faces!!

During our lesson on Sunday, Elders Dougal and Mason taught, and they used two Star Wars analogies and a LotR analogy to explain baptism, repentance, and relying on the Holy Ghost. It was awesome. :)

We got to go to the temple today! It was sooo wonderful. I just always feel superbien after going. :D Soooo goood! I definitely feel a greater love for those around me and a greater desire to help the all get to the Celestial Kingdom!

Okay so today in the devotional I learned some awesome things. Basically one thing I learned is that I really need to have more faith in our message. He told this story about these missionaries that went and taught a guy at 4:30 in the morning because that's when his wife said he'd be available, and when they got there, they said "Just meet with us for 20 minutes 3 times. If you don't believe it, you never have to see us again." After two lessons, the man said that he found himself hoping they'd come back every single day after that. :) 

This message is so incredible. I just sometimes forget how powerfully it will affect their lives! I need to remember that and have faith in the power of the gospel. :) Same with my testimony. (I'm scared about sharing it sometimes during Sacrament meeting or with friends because I'm afraid they'll judge or think I'm crazy, but I need to have the confidence that the Holy Ghost will back me up and I can change lives.) Another thing they said is "The only way to obtain different results is to do something different." I mean, it sounds obvious, but it's true! If you want to change something, you have to actually change what you're doing, otherwise nothing will change.

Oh okay so I'm going to share some goals with you so hopefully I'll actually stick to them more. Hermana Amendola and I are trying to 1) Actually talk to people in line, 2) Smile at people and make eye contact, and 3) Be grateful. :) These are all supposed to help me become more Christlike. I figure that if He were standing in the dinner line, He'd talk to people. So...I'm supposed to do that too! Sounds simple but it's something I struggle with, so, I'm working on it.

Here's a sweet scripture: 1 Nephi 17:50. If the Lord should ask me to do all things, I could do it! He will help me do whatever it is he asks me.

Here's a comforting one. Alma 1:18 tells me that this work is possible. It just requires all of my might and the faculty of my whole soul. That's all. ... ... o.O I need to get working.

Well, I love you all. :) I don't know what much else to say.

OH here's a good story...

Last night we set our alarms for 5:15 to do laundry as we usually do every p-day... then at 4:10 teh fire alarm went off and we were escorted across the courtyard to the gym, where we sat and talked about hamsters, gerbils, and all sorts of crazy animals that we've had as pets that have come to horrific ends until 5:20 when they let us out. Then we went and did laundry. Fun morning! XD

Oh! One of the missionaries in our district found out at 6:00 this morning that his visa finally came in and that he was heading out in.... 20 minutes. XD I'm glad I don't have to worry about a visa!!

Okay. I really do love you all. Keep being awesome. :)

--Hermana Harris--

Teaching and Learning Episode 4

Hello World!

They should really not serve beans before devotionals. The Elders were farting like nothing else. One elder, 3 chairs down, farted so powerfully that I felt my chair vibrate. And Hna Amendola felt it too and she was on the far side of me. Also this one Elder fell asleep and then woke up suddenly and it scared him so he farted too and everyone in the row in front of us turned around and was like whaaat is going on. Anywyay...

Alright. So let's get down to business.

Our original progressing investigator, Jason, who we started over with, threw us a curveball this last meeting. We had our lesson about prayer all planned out, and when we go there, he told us that it wasn't our fault, but that he didn't want to meet with us anymore!! :O I literally just broke down and started crying right there. (My companion later told me she was freaking out because I couldn't speak cuz I was crying and she was like "I don't speak Spanish! Stop crying so you can talk to him! I can't do it!) 

He said his friends and family were talking to him and told him that we're false and that the gold plates are gone so there's no proof so it's all lies. He's a lawyer, so he says evidence is super important to him. I was crying so much it was super embarrassing. Anyway he eventually let us in and we talked to him about it and read him some scriptures and eventually got him to commit to coming to church. 

We've got a sweet lesson planned for next time. All sorts of great, uplifting scriptures and stuff, including this analogy. Even if gold plates were to be given as evidence in a court case, they'd have to bring in an expert witness to determine if the plates were legit or not, right? So just like that, he can hold the Book of Mormon in his hands. It's evidence just like plates would be. All he has to do is ask the ultimate expert witness to tell him if they're really the word of God or not. And who would know better than God himself that they're His words??

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions feel free to dearelder them to me. :}

So Christmas was interesting. It was different than I expected. We watched It's a Wonderful Life at the end of the day, and that was kinda funny.... all the Elders were freaking out during the buffalo girls won'tcha come out tonight part. XD All I could think of was the 'How It Should Have Ended' for it. I did learn some things, though. I was impressed by his humility - he always did what was best for other people, not for himself, like with Mr. Gower, the Building and Loan, his little bro, etc. He just gave and gave and gave.

I saw Elder E....something.... again. It was kinda funny because I thought he was just walking past and then saw me, so I talked to him for a minute, and then said, "It was nice to see you" and then turned back around in line. Then I realized he was still standing there. So... he was in line behind me... and it was awkward. XD It was nice to see him though.

Our district is improving. Sorta. Slowly but ...slowly. We've started this new tutoring system. Our teachers came up with it. Basically he assigned half the class to be tutors and half to be tutored. I'm tutoring Elder Bosse. We went over the present, preterit, imperfect, conditional, and future tenses for the verb tener, and then I made up sentences in English and had him write them in Spanish. There were only 15 of them. Later Hermano Wald asked how tutoring went today, and Elder Bosse said it was horrible, his brain hurt, and every time he got off task I made him focus. XD Hermano Wald said "I love this idea more and more by the minute!"

There's a teacher who just helps out randomly named Hermano Jaen. He has a super super thick hispanic accent, and he likes to imitate Elder Bosse. His "australian" accent is the funniest thing ever. I love it. He sounds Asian. It's absolutely hilarious. I thought he was like 25 but apparently I'm older. His bday is May 12 1991!

Okay I love you all. Take care!!!!

--Hermana Harris